Stabilized nitrated starch.



' rrs erase FLETCHER B. HOLMES, OF WOODBURY, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THEE. I. DU PONT DE,

NEMOURS POWDER COMPANY, OF WILMINGTON,DELAWARE A CORPORATION OF.NEW

JERSEY,

' STABILIZED NI'EBATED STitRGH.

Specification of Letters ZPatent.

Patented Jan, 1?, was.

Application filed Hay 20.1907. Serial No. 374.535.,

To all may concern:

- Be it known that I, FLETCHER B; HOLMES,

a citizen f the United States, residing at Woodbury, county ofGloucester, and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Stabilized Nitrated Starch, of'which the following is afull, clear,

and exact description.

The object of my invention is to' produce stable nitrated starch.

Nitrated starch may be used as an explosive itself, or preferably may beused as a component part of an explosive, such as where it is mixed withsodium nitratapotassium nitrate,or some other oxygen car? rier, with orwithout the addition of other ingredients. The difficulty with nitratedstarch is that it is very unstable, being liable-to decomposition.ill/hen such ni-trated starch decomposes, which it is liable to do atordinary teEYfiiTature-s, it becomes liable to spontaneous'combustion.

- ,1. have discovered that I can produce a stable nitrated starch bymixing with ni-' trated starch any toluid of anorganic aliphatic acid,such as acet-toluid,"

a ms-400a,- which I-prefer to use. Toluids of the other aliphatic acidssuch as fortntolui'd,

. cH, o,H,NH-crio, and the toluid of oxalic acid,

(CO-NHC,H,GH3),,

etc., may also be used. I In practice the reagent is mixed with nitratedstarch produced in the ordinary and;- The mixing may be Well knownmanner. made in any manner to produce a goodmix ture. They may be mixedwet or dry and in any kind of a mixer. Preferably I mix the two, in afinely divided powdered condition, in a bowlprovided with stirrers orpaddles,

andiin an amount, preferably from two-t0 five per cent, although'largerand smaller amounts can be used. with success. I have found three percent. to give good results. Having now fully described my invention,-

what .1 claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

. 1. A stable explosive, consistin of a mixture of nitrated starch and ato uid of an organic aliphatic acid, the latter being insuch proportionas to stabilize the nitrated starch.

2. A stable explosive consisting of a mix- .ture of nitrated starch andfrom-two to five per cent. of atoluid of an organic aliphatic .Intestimony of which invention, have hereunto set my hand, atPhiladelphia, on

this 15th day of May, 1907. FLETCHER B. .HOLMES. Witnesses:

M. M. HAMILTON, v E. E. WALL.

